The Iraqi military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are reported to have liberated the central city of Baiji from the Islamic State and are close to breaking the siege on the nearby oil refinery. The Shiite militias, which are heavily supported by Iran’s Qods Force, are playing a key role in recent gains against the Islamic State. US airpower has supported the militias and Iraqi government forces.

General Abdul Wahab al Saadi, the senior commander in the area, announced the “liberation of Baiji” earlier today on Iraqi state television, The Associated Press reported. Several Iraqi military officers also claimed success in Baiji, which hosts Iraq’s largest oil refinery.

Iraqi officials told Reuters that security forces have advanced to within one kilometer of the refinery, which has been surrounded by Islamic State fighters since the beginning of the summer. Officers claim that Islamic State fighters who are retreating are being targeted by aircraft.

Asaib al Haq, or the League of the Righteous, a Shiite militia that is responsible for killing hundreds of US soldiers in Iraq between 2006-2011, is known to be fighting in Baiji. Al Ahad TV reported that the militia, along with Iraqi Army units, killed Ala Burhan al Tikriti, an Islamic State commander who “supervised the execution of the massacre at Camp Speicher,” an Iraqi base outside of Tikrit where hundreds of Iraqi troops were murdered. Numerous videos of the League of the Righteous fighting alongside Iraqi forces in Baiji have also been published on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

The League of the Righteous was formed in 2006 as an offshoot of Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army. The militia, which has been trained by Hezbollah and Qods Force, was the largest and most powerful of what the US military called the Special Groups, or militias backed by Iran. The group was at the forefront in using EFPs, or explosively formed penetrators, the deadly mines that can penetrate US armored vehicles. Hundreds of US soldiers were killed in EFP attacks.

Iranian militias spearheading Iraqi assaults against the Islamic State

The Iraqi government has grown dependent on Iranian-backed Shiite militias ever since the Islamic State launched its offensive to take large swaths of northern, central and eastern Iraq in mid-June. The Islamic State’s summer offensive, combined with the group overrunning most of the western province of Anbar beginning in January, cause the collapse of nearly half of Iraq’s Army divisions.

The militias deployed to Samarra, the provincial capital of Salahaddin, as the Islamic State took control of the nearby cities of Tikrit and Baiji. Samarra is home to the Al Askari Mosque, one of the most revered religious sites in Shia Islam.

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Qods Force, the special operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was spotted in Samarra directing the defense of the city.

The Shiite militias were at the vanguard of the fighting in two other recent successes: driving back the Islamic State from Amerli in Salahaddin province and from Jurf al Sakhar in northern Babil province.

After the town was liberated from the Islamic State, photographs and videos of the militias celebrating the victory alongside Iraqi troops were published on the Internet. Soleimani was photographed with several members of Shiite militias in Jurf al Sahkar. One photograph purported to show Soleimani along with Hadi al Amiri, the head of the Badr Brigades, The Washington Post reported.

The US, either intentionally or unintentionally, has supported the Shiite militias’ gains. US and coalition aircraft launched multiple airstrikes in Baiji, Amerli, and Jurf al Sakhar as the militias and Iraqi forces began their offensives. Most recently, the US conducted 28 airstrikes in Baiji between Oct. 18 and Nov. 12, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal and Qualitative Military Edge.

The deployment of Iranian militias in Sunni areas such as Baiji and Jurf al Sakhar is certain to complicate the fight against the Islamic State. While the Islamic State has lost territory, the jihadist group has positioned itself as the defenders of the Sunnis against Iran and its Shiite proxies in the Iraqi government.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Caleb Weiss is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a contributor to The Long War Journal.

4 Comments

So my question is, how are Sunnis going to react to Shia militias in their territory? American troops at Baghdad, Iranian/shia militias in the east and south as well as pushing North Possibly into Kurdish Territory, Sunni tribes (Awakening) in Anbar.
Now with talk about how the anti ISIL strategy may play into The Syria situation. I can certainly see why U.S. Involvement is kept to a minimum. there is absolutely no guarantee there will be peace after IS is defeated.
Should there be another civil war in Iraq I cannot help but wonder what U.S. Policy will be. Especially with a gridlocked congress and elections around the corner. Potentially ushering in a political wind shift. With Republicans never-ending beating of the war drums.

“Three of the group’s top leaders, including its military emir, Akram Abbas al Kabi, are listed by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorists”
Who would have thought the DOD was in the business of providing material support for terrorists, by order of the Obama administration?

Deth, I found your questions interesting until your last generalization about all Republicans.
2nd only to ISIS, I count the extreme polarization and willingness to spew hatred against the other party, such as yours, as the greatest threat to this country. And I’m a Democrat.

Dave…
Deth is not an American citizen, for he’s not aware that the election has already occurred — ten days back.
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The European borders (British-French scheme, WWI) are now history.
One should expect further changes.
At present, it would appear that Washington wants to merely contain ISIS. At the current tempo, no effort is being made to really degrade its army, which I find surprising.
A cynic would guess that DC wants the Sunnis as a counter-weight to the Shi’ites — with both sides deemed very ugly.
For obvious reasons, the Kurds are playing strictly a defensive strategy. They are low on armaments — and have no motivation to enter Sunni lands. If there is one item they ought to acquire it’s a drone force, the cheap ones. Its doubtful that any power will sell drones to ISIS.
Drone superiority would shut down most ISIS attacks.
Beyond that, the Kurds are going to have to start selling their oil on the black market, using some fronts. Due to American politics, DC is blocking the ordinary sale of Kurdish crude — even when it’s floating on the ocean.
It must be obvious by now that Baghdad is NEVER going to pass on revenues from Kurdish oil exports. Its financial position is weaker now than ever.
As for Iran, she must surely be tapping every dollar possible from Baghdad. The Iranian economy is hurting.
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Unless someone’s shipping spare parts on a bulk basis, ISIS is sure to run down its tank force. Nothing lasts in the Arabian desert. This may be the key factor driving the American containment strategy.